Gavroche's Secret
by Macavroche
Summary: Gavroche has a secret, and Eponine's going to get it out of him. One way or another... My first Les Mis fanfic, so R&R! Comment if you want me to continue, though I don't have any ideas in terms of a second chapter...


Gavroche's Secret

By Eliza Martin

Inspired by the story Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo.

All names and characters mentioned belong to the creator.

Sadly, I do not own anything except this plot.

"Aw, tell me!"  
"Non, mademoiselle!"  
"C'mon, 'Vroche, quit teasing. Tell me!"  
"No way! You'll go tell Grantaire, and he'll say he'll keep it a secret, and then he'll get drunk and tell everybody, and then everybody'll know…"  
"Promise I won't tell Grantaire."  
"Or Enjolras?"  
"Or Enjolras."  
"Swear on the stars?"  
"Gavvie…"  
"Don't call me that."  
"If you don't tell me, I'll tell Enjolras you carry a picture of him in your pocket."  
"Oi! That's blackmail, that is! And no, I don't!"  
"Gavroche! Tell me now!"  
"Well… One franc."  
"You little devil child, you gamin, you! You were going to do that all along! You know I don't have that kind of money!"  
"Too bad. Guess I'll have to keep all my juicy little secrets to myself."  
With a groan, Éponine reluctantly fished a franc out of her pocket, and handed it to her brother, much to his delight. Then, suddenly, Gavroche remembered something.  
"Hey! You said you didn't have the money!"  
"I lied," Éponine replied simply. Gavroche grinned.  
"Spoken like a true Thenardier."  
"Ugh, don't remind me. Though I do have my moments. Now spill, mon frère."  
Gavroche beckoned her close, so that she was practically kneeling in the grimy, dank alleyway on the cold cobblestones. Then, as soon as they were the same height, Gavroche's youthful face right next to Éponine's ear…  
"Tricked ya!" Gavroche started to run off, laughing wildly at his own joke and waving his new franc in the air smugly. However, before he could get very far, Éponine grabbed hold of his hat.  
Now, keep in mind. This was no ordinary hat. This was Gavroche's favorite hat, the one that Enjolras had given him, the one with a French Revolution rosette on it. As soon as Gavroche felt it leave his head, he cried out, spinning back around, clutching at his reddish hair and glaring furiously at Éponine, who was casually twirling the hat on his finger.  
"Mon chapeau!" Gavroche cried, grabbing wildly at the hat, but Éponine held it high out of his reach, using her older height to her advantage.  
"Tell me what you saw, this hat goes to the dogs!"  
"Non, 'Ponine! Give it back, I'll tell, I swear!  
"Swear on the stars?" his sister teased, but she tossed the tattered hat back to him all the same. Gavroche grinned, jamming the hat back on his head and looking proud.  
"Now, tell me! You promised!"  
"I know, I know! Now, I was out wanderin' the streets, like normal…"

***FLASHBACK***

Gavroche skipped down the streets, whistling the tune to his favorite song and tipping his hat to street vendors. His happy-go-lucky personality prohibited him from casting a cruel glance at anyone, not even stern police officer with a loaded pistol. _Especially_ not a stern police officer with a loaded pistol  
He turned a corner, off to visit his friends at the café, when suddenly he stopped stock still, his jaw dangling somewhere around his bare feet. There, in the quiet, otherwise empty alley, stood his good friend Marius, kissing that rich girl from Rue Plumet — Monette? Coselle? — right in the alley. After a few seconds of staring, Gavroche ran backwards a few steps, hiding back around the corner and marveling at what he just saw. Then, the full realization hit him, and he was suddenly bent over, shaking with silent laughter; his fist was in his mouth to keep them from hearing his giggles. He peeked back around the corner, and sure enough, they were still there; their faces glued together, their hands on each other's backs. This sent Gavroche into another laughing fit. Soon, though, Marius and the girl broke apart, and Gavroche could hear Marius speaking.  
"Cosette, darling, I must go. Enjolras needs me."  
Then the voice of the girl: "Oh, Marius, how I wish you didn't have to fight this stupid war, with the stupid barricade, and stupid Enjolras—" Gavroche gasped to hear his hero spoken about in such a fashion, and clearly Marius felt the same way.  
"Cosette!"  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Marius. I forgot myself. You know I don't really feel that way. Will you forgive me?"  
"Of course, Cosette." Behind the cover of the brick wall, Gavroche pretended to gag.  
"Now, you really must go."  
"I will miss you."  
"I will miss you too, Marius." Then came the sound of pattering feet, running, and soft, slow footsteps going in the other direction—his direction. Gavroche panicked, and, quickly making up his mind, tore off to find Éponine, and tell her everything he had seen… for a price.

***END FLASHBACK***

"… And that's what happened," Gavroche finished happily. It had taken a little longer to tell the tale than expected, because Gavroche kept cracking up again at the thought of what he had seen. When the end of the story had finally come, Gavroche looked proudly at his older sister, expecting pride, laughter, anything, really. But he was in no way prepared for the expression on Éponine's face.  
Hurt, contempt, sadness, and anger fought for position as her expression, creating a bizarre mix of pure misery. When she spoke, her voice had lost all the usual confidence, teasing, happiness, and laughter that it usually held when she spoke to him.  
"H-he really said that? 'I will miss you'?" Gavroche looked confused.  
"I—well, yeah, I guess—why, d'you—" he began, but he stopped talking abruptly when he saw Éponine's eyes fill with tears. She covered her face with her hands, and ran, sobbing, down the street and out of sight. Gavroche's confusion persisted for a moment more, then he shrugged helplessly, and continued on his way, whistling again.

Sisters.

***THE END***


End file.
